Dozens rally in Jersey City demanding justice for Trayvon Martin

The Jersey City event didn’t feature high-profiles celebrities such as Beyonce and Jay Z, but that and the heat didn’t matter to the dozens who gathered Saturday in front of the Brennan Courthouse to protest a Florida jury’s George Zimmerman verdict.

"People of color have suffered injustices for centuries. What happened now is racism has come to the forefront," Carolyn Oliver-Fair, president of the North Jersey chapter of the National Action Network, said to dozens of people who showed up to participate in the "Justice for Trayvon 100 City Vigil."

The nationwide effort was organized by the National Action Network, which is headed by civil-rights activist and TV personality Al Sharpton.

Sharpton led the rally held in New York City on Saturday that was attended by Beyonce and Jay-Z and other celebrities.

Last Saturday volunteer watchman George Zimmerman was cleared of all charges in the death of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old African American he fatally shot last year in Sanford, Fla. The jury determined Zimmerman could have been acting in self-defense.

"We know what happened in Florida was unjust and un-right," Hudson County Freeholder Jeff Dublin said Saturday in front of the Newark Avenue courthouse, urging people to avoid visiting Florida and to boycott other states with so-called Stand Your Ground self-defense laws on the books.

Other speakers at the Jersey City event included Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex), a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, and Bruce Alston, the founder of the advocacy group, Urban Concerns.

"There is something wrong with the culture of America when we elect officials that do not correct these issues in the criminal justice system," Alston said. "We need to tell our fellow citizens to vote."

Danyse Ryan, 38, of Eighth Street, said the demonstration was more important to her than escaping Saturday’s hot weather.

"We’re out here baking in the heat because it’s a call of justice," she said.